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The alternative: Social justice

May 15, 1996

Since its independence in 1991, Armenia’s standing in the UN’s human development ladder has dropped from the 90th rank to the 130th, in 1995.

The ultra-liberal policies adopted by the government are a main reason for this situation.

According to studies recently published by the ARF Economics Analysis Unit, the Armenian society is gravely polarized. On the one hand, 0.63 percent of the population is controlling 39 percent of the gross national income, and on the other hand, 91.49 percent of the population musters only 34 percent of the gross national income.

The depolarization of the Armenian society and the consolidation and the continuous expansion of a middle class are necessary, to avoid any social upheaval. To that end, a socioeconomic strategy based on the concepts of social justice is the shortest route.

In the economic sphere, social justice could be achieved through a mixed economy, in which the individual possesses and exercises the right to labour and the ownership of the fruits of that labour.

The ARF concept of social justice is not aimed at merely creating a social protection net, rather it aims at a relatively equitable distribution of ownership of wealth.

The ARF concept of social justice is in total opposition to the concept put forward by the President of Armenia, that “today, speaking of Socialism is tantamount of Communism.”

The ARF aims at protecting the interests of all segments of the Armenian society, in an environment where the rule of law and the concept of social justice prevail.